During our Engaged Encounter weekend, one of our last assignments was to write a Betrothal Pledge for our significant other.  You might wonder what a betrothal is (I know I was), in our booklet it was defined as, "...a public pledge of love and commitment to take practical, concrete steps to prepare for the Sacrament of Marriage.  Betrothal is a deeper part of engagement, one that focuses on your own relationship and how it relates to God, Church, and family."   
     After reading the meaning, I clearly understood what it meant and I knew exactly what I wanted to write in my betrothal to Jeff.  So now I share it with you all, a public pledge of my commitment to the Love of my Life!

"Because I love you, I plan to work on deepening our relationship between now and our wedding day by always standing by your side and being the listening ear that you need.  I'll also be the supportive fiance you've continued to love.  Know that I am always here for you even when you fear failure because in my eyes you can never fail.  You have not failed me once, because I believe you are a strong person who is highly motivated.  I see you differently than you see yourself, you are a kindhearted, loving person and I will continue to remind you that everyday from now and until the many days of our married life together.
We will deepen our relationship with each other and God by being thankful to Him in prayer and service.  Without God in our lives you and I wouldn't be as strong as we are now and will continue to be in our life ahead.  I have a deeper love for God and our faith because of you.  You have helped me to be more life giving by making the Catholic Church prominent in our lives, so thank you for that!  I'm glad that He has brought you into my life at this time because timing is everything and you couldn't have come at a better time, you and I are now more mature and ready to take on the task of being husband and wife (or mom and dad hopefully soon)!  So that is why I thank God frequently!  I am a firm believer in 'Everything happens for a reason,' and if God brought you into my life at this late stage in our life it's because he knew we were ready to take the next step in our lives together as ONE!  I love you Bubba with all my heart and I promise to be the loving person and soon-to-be wife that you deserve!"
    
     So there it is folks, my promise I made to my loving fiance during our EE retreat.  Let it be known that while I read this to him, I cried like a baby, it just goes to show my love for that man and I can't wait to take on the role as his wife!
     How did you publicly display your love and promise to your hubby?

                           photo by Scott Hayne

     We just got back from our Catholic Engaged Encounter retreat and it was AMAZING, truly an enlightening experience not just for me, but for the fiance too!  For those that don't know what EE is, it's a time to reflect on your relationship with each other and what marriage means for the both of you.  This retreat is required by most Catholic Diocese if you wish to get married under the Catholic Church, but in my opinion should be done for all engaged couples.  I will say, that in the beginning there may have been a little hesitation coming into this weekend, but now I'll recommend doing this to any marrying couple I know.    
     During this retreat, all the couples (all 21 of them) "put it all out on the table," if you will, to their significant other (in private, not publicly).  We all expressed our feelings about our expectations, doubts (if any), and our goals as husband and wife.  This retreat was just a weekend event but we gained a lifetime of useful knowledge.      

     In between our Saturday session, we had a couple of hours to roam the grounds to reflect on our experience so far or further discuss topics that needed more attention.  Jeff and I knew that we were in the right track as far as our goals for our future so we had a little play time.
     Because my fiance is so sweet, he decided to pick flowers (or weeds), funny huh? 

     He can make anything so beautiful to me!  He truly has a kind heart and I am so blessed to have him in my life!  This weekend just reaffirms that I have made the best decision in my life, to marry the man that God has meant for me to be with!